Image in the Sand
In The death of Jadzia Dax and the Sisko's purpose ' |image= |series= |production=40510-551 |producer(s)= |story= |script= Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler |director= Les Landau |imdbref=tt0708552 |guests=Brock Peters as Joseph Sisko, Aron Eisenberg as Nog, Jeffrey Combs as Weyoun, Casey Biggs as Damar, Megan Cole as Cretak, J. G. Hertzler as General Martok, Barry Jenner as Admiral Ross, Deborah Lacey as The Face and James Darren as Vic Fontaine |previous_production=Tears of the Prophets |next_production=Shadows and Symbols |episode=DS9 S07E01 |airdate=30 September 1998 |previous_release=Tears of the Prophets |next_release=Shadows and Symbols |story_date(s)=Unknown |group="N"}} (2375) |previous_story=Tears of the Prophets |next_story=Shadows and Symbols }} Summary Three months after a possessed Gul Dukat killed Jadzia Dax and sealed the wormhole, life on Deep Space Nine has changed. Kira, the acting commander, is upset when Admiral Ross informs her that the Romulans will set up a station office, while Sisko has retreated to Earth to contemplate a way of contacting the Bajoran Prophets — the aliens who reside within the wormhole. When the vision of a woman's face, buried in the sand, appears to Sisko, he sketches her, and Jake Sisko recognizes her from one of his grandfather's photos. Meanwhile, at the station, Kira meets Cretak, the Romulan Senator, and agrees to let her set up a hospital on an uninhabited Bajoran moon to care for wounded Romulan soldiers. Back on Earth, Sisko asks his father about the woman in the photo, but Joseph, upset, refuses to identify her. Sisko persists and Joseph acquiesces: the woman was his wife, and Sisko's mother. Joseph explains that the woman, Sarah, left him when Sisko was a baby and later died. Because Sisko's stepmother raised him as her own, Joseph never revealed the truth. He gives Sisko a locket that once belonged to Sarah, and Sisko finds upon it an ancient Bajoran inscription that reads "The Orb of the Emissary." This causes him to wonder if another Bajoran orb exists, which would allow access to the Prophets. Sisko realizes he must go to the planet Tyree, the setting of his original vision. But while preparing, he is stabbed by a Bajoran who is determined to stop Sisko's quest. Back on Deep Space Nine, Odo shows Kira data indicating that the Romulans are arming the Bajoran moon with plasma torpedoes. Kira demands that Cretak remove the torpedoes — or she will. Meanwhile, a healed Sisko explains to Jake and Joseph that his attacker was a member of a cult that worships the Pah-wraiths — the enemies of Bajor's Prophets. Joseph realizes that if the attacker knew of Sisko's discovery, the Pah-wraiths must know as well, and Sisko could be in grave danger. He and Jake decide to accompany Sisko to Tyree. But just as the three generations of Siskos are about to leave, a young female Trill arrives at the restaurant. She is Ezri — the new host of the Dax symbiont. Errors and Explanations Nit Central # Tony Forbes on Thursday, October 01, 1998 - 9:13 pm: It is so blatantly obvious that the Romulan Senator is playing Kira from the first scene with them together. The new Colonel (and ex-terrorist) FALLS FOR IT! Kira, Kira, Kira... She is trying to be diplomatic. # Tyree? Wasn't there a planet with a similar name in Classic Trek '' George H. Daley Jr. on Friday, October 02, 1998 - 10:43 pm:'' Tyree was the name of Kirk's native friend in A Private Little War # Lisa Solinas on Thursday, October 01, 1998 - 10:33 pm: At the beginning (after the "last time on DS9"), we see a bunch of pagh-wraith cultists praying to the wraiths in front of the Bajoran temple. Why are they praying in front of the Temple of the Prophets? And where are the monks? The Pagh-Wraith followers must have taken it over when the prophets disappeared, and forced the monks to move out. # While everyone on the bridge of the Defiant is griping about convoy duty, Nog states that convoy duty is safe. Worf snaps at him, and Nog seems more surprised than he should be. It's been THREE months since Jadzia died, and Nog has to be told why he's so irritable? Perhaps Nog assumed that at least some of Worf’s grief would have subsided by this point. # Ross claims that telling Kira about the Romulans is just a favor, and that the decision has already been made. What right does Starfleet have to dictate what goes on on a Bajoran station? Is it those anal-retentive admirals again? But suppose they asked the Bajorans, and the Bajorans agreed. Shouldn't the provisional government have at last asked Kira what she thought? Or at least informed her themselves. (It still sounds to me like the anal-retentive admirals) It’s a Bajoran station administered by Starfleet, as Sisko pointed out to Quark in Emissary. # When the blossoming alcoholic Damar starts swigging rum.... I mean kanar, Weyoung asks him if he bothers with a glass when he's alone or if he drinks "that swill straight from the bottle." Weyoun doesn't have a sense of aesthetics, so why would he describe kanar as swill? The only time we've seen him react to food was when he downed a poisoned glass of kanar. (Of course, he might be trying to get under Damar's skin) It could be an inherited memory of the attempted poisoning. # Grandpa Joe says that after Sarah vanished, he searched for three years for her. From previous episodes, I got the impression that computers could track any individual on Earth or leaving Earth. Sarah didn't even leave the planet, she went to Australia! Couldn't he have asked a computer for a Sarah Sisko? Or just have it scan a photo of her? The Prophets could have made it impossible for Joe to find Sarah. # What did Sarah have to do with Bajor or the Prophets? How did the Prophets know about her? They must have instinctively selected someone who was the best genetic match to produce their Emissary. # Kira says that they haven't heard a peep from Sisko for three months. Nobody on the station knows the address or number of Sisko's Creole Kitchen? They probably felt it was best, given the circumstances, to wait for him to contact them. # Listening to Vic Fontaine sing "All the Way", Worf loses it (again) and trashes the bar. Later, Quark and Bashir arrive to survey the carnage. Near the end of the scene, Quark picks up a lampshade and fiddles with it. Before exiting, he hands it to Vic. The lampshade appears to be totally intact. This seems a little odd to me. Quark’s fiddling could have repaired the damage. # Grandpa Joe says that Sarah died in the hovercraft accident. What is a hovercraft? Shane Miller on Saturday, October 03, 1998 - 12:35 pm: In response to Lisa Solina's question on hovercraft - There is the common 20th century hovercraft which is an amphibious vehicle that floats on a cushion of air. They are used on the English channel as ferries, and were hailed as one of the new "This-is-gonna-change-everything" forms of transportation when they were first developed. However, for one reason or another, this was not to be. I know for a fact that they're darned noisy machines, and they're expensive. Since they have (in my opinion) not made a truly significant impact in THIS century, I fail to see how they could exist in the 24th century in the conventional sense. It is possible that by then there could be a totally different vehicle that is called a hovercraft.Shane Miller on Saturday, October 03, 1998 - 12:35 pm: Just what do they use for global travel in the 24th century, and why? We have seen various small shuttles, and hover-type vehicles in different movies and episodes, and I seem to recall somewhere that transporters were used to travel to another continent, but who is entitled to use what system? Are Starfleet and the UFP the only groups allowed to travel globally via transporter?' Seniram 11:28, November 6, 2017 (UTC) That would make sense, especially from a security standpoint. # The Romulan senator says that many Romulans are dying on the trip back to Romulus. Shouldn't there be starbases and sickbays in Romulan space? Romulas may be located close to the edge of Romulan space, with a lot of territory between it and the conflict zone. # Odo says that sensor readings of the hospital reveal trilithium. From Generations, I thought that trilithium was experimental. (And yes, I know I'm violating the NPD. If Janeway gets to do it, so can I!) Scott Neugroschl on Friday, October 02, 1998 - 10:22 am: Trilithium is not fully experimental... The terrorists were trying to steal it in TNG Starship Mine. # Also, it appears that the trilithium is in 7000 plasma torpedoes. Why is there trilithium in plasma torpedoes? Possibly one of the ingredients for the plasma. # Most of the Starfleeties who requested medical attention at the Romulan hospital were Vulcan. Was that deliberate, or was it like the Intrepid (TOS)? Vulcans do have a very similar physiology to Romulans. # Shortly before being attacked, Sisko drops a large lumpy bag into a chute. Looks like a garbage bag. A plastic garbage bag. Shouldn't there be a better method by then of dealing with organic junk? A compost heap! Or at least dematerialize it in a replicator. (I know, Grandpa Joe probably doesn't have one. But there are supposed to be public ones) The public ones may not be accessible overnight. # Does the senator know she's not fooling anyone? 7000 torpedoes for DEFENSE? Maybe she is one of those people who believe Offense is the best defense! # Ross Fertel on Sunday, October 04, 1998 - 10:43 am: Question about the title, was that really an image? Aren't images two-dimensional? Shouldn't it be 'Model in the Sand' (doesn't sound as cool though) Images can be both 2 and 3 dimensional. # Bashir and O'Brien are lucky! They're both going off on an adventure at the same time (With the Stratigic Operations officer, no less) So... Admiral Ross is not expecting any casualties/ computer crashes during their absence? Bashir and O’Brien both have well trained subordinates who can cover for them during their absence. # I am not alone at the blatent disregard of Trill taboo in this episode. This is reassociation, big time. Why does Ezri think that she can walk up to Sisko and pick up right where they left off? Don't the Trill go the extraordinary lengths to make sure this doesn't happen? It seems like Ezri went out of her way to see Sisko. The way I saw it with Jadzia, the powers that be thought it would be all right because there was a time lapse between Curzon and Jadzia as far as Sisko was concerned. Clay Johnson on Sunday, October 04, 1998 - 1:35 pm: To Ross Fertel. The reassociation taboo only applies to the symbionts whose hosts were married during a previous joining. It is in the ST: Encyclopedia, updated version. Seniram In addition, the Trill Symbiosis Commission cannot dictate where joined trills serving in Starfleet can and cannot serve, or who they can or cannot serve with! # Jennifer Pope on Tuesday, October 06, 1998 - 11:29 am: It seemed a bit odd to me that the Bajoran assassin could get through Earth security (most important planet in the galaxy, right?) with a knife under his simple-looking habit. Isn't there a 24th century equivalent of metal detectors? Maybe he said it was against his religion to be searched for weapons (probably is). Or perhaps he bought it on Earth somewhere; but who would be selling such knives in wartime, on a reasonably secure planet? And wouldn't it be suspicious if the customer was a supposedly peaceful monk? Hmmmm.… Maybe the monk insisted it was a vital element of his faith. # Lisa Shock on Thursday, October 08, 1998 - 2:18 pm: One small nit: I noticed that on the freighter the door frames extend up from the floor, so the crew must step over them to pass. This looks dangerous (I can imagine people tripping over them all the time!) and would prevent some people (those in wheelchairs, or Hortas) from serving on or visiting the ship. Aaron Dotter on Thursday, October 08, 1998 - 7:33 pm: The doors on the freighter would be like that to make them easier to seal in case of a breach in the hull. The doors of submarines and naval vessels are like this to keep water out in case they begin to sink. # Hans Thielman on Friday, October 09, 1998 - 2:54 pm: Why would Admiral Ross permit Sisko to resume his command of the station at this point? Is Sisko still fit to command? I have my doubts that he is. ''Murray Leeder on Sunday, October 11, 1998 - 12:06 am:''I doubt Ross has much of a choice about giving the station back to Sisko. If he denied him, this would not make the Bajorans very happy, now would it? Notes Category:Episodes Category:Deep Space Nine